(AOF) – The American hotel group Hilton Worldwide Holdings said Thursday that it was working to ensure that mandatory fees are displayed upfront on all its websites and applications. Hotel operators have been the target of criticism over the way the fees are communicated to consumers and have been accused of engaging in fraudulent and anti-competitive practices in advertisements, preventing comparison shopping, and charging millions of dollars in hidden costs.
“The process of updating and aligning our technology is ongoing,” Hilton said in a letter to U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Jerry Moran. Lawmakers introduced the bipartisan Hotel Fees Transparency Act in the U.S. Senate in July, aiming to crack down on hidden fees and establish federal pricing guidelines.
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Global tourism still on the rise
Over the first nine months of 2022, 700 million tourists traveled internationally, more than double (+133%) the figure recorded for the same period in 2021. This figure reached 63% of 2019 levels , which should allow the sector to reach 65% of its pre-pandemic levels in 2022. This result is due to a high level of demand and the gradual lifting of restrictions in a large number of countries. Europe is significantly supporting this rebound with the arrival of 477 million people between January and September 2022 (68% of the global total), reaching 81% of the pre-covid level. Tourism there is driven by strong intra-regional demand and travel from the United States. Some destinations saw notable increases in revenue, including Serbia, Romania, Turkey, Latvia, Portugal, Pakistan, Mexico, Morocco and France.